Real-time tracking of a target object in a reference frame that is independent of the measurement device can have applications in a variety of fields ranging from engineering to sports. A system that is easy to set up and use and is affordable would enable many types of dynamic tacking applications which may have been hard to justify using existing systems. There are costly, commercially available instrument tracking systems that involve video camera based systems or laser-based systems which allow the instrument to track a movable object. Examples of video camera based systems include multi-camera motion capture systems, single camera pixel-based image systems, and single camera position and orientation object tracking software. Examples of laser-based systems include interferometer based trackers, electronic distance measurement systems, and surveying and construction equipment laser systems. Some of the existing systems can control an instrument to track a movable target object in a local coordinate system in which the target object is moving, but they have a high cost and are not very portable or easy to set up and use.
What is needed is an improved method and system involving controlling a video camera to track a movable target object and to calculate the position of the target object in a local coordinate system in which the target object is moving.